Restaurant Guide 2013: Mextiza

[PAN-MEXICAN] Mexican restaurants can impress most Portland gringos simply by serving
burritos that manage to stay inside the tortilla. Mextiza owner Oswaldo
Bibiano sets a much higher bar. At Autentica, Bibiano sought to
introduce the Pacific Northwest to the cuisine of his native state,
Guerrero. With the establishment’s younger Overlook neighborhood sister
restaurant, the chef explores regional delicacies from across his home
country. That includes a succulent, open-faced wild boar sandwich ($13)
that piles grilled onions, avocado, pico de gallo and chunks of
slow-cooked pork atop warm focaccia bread and the Cabrito ($18), an
entree of shredded goat prepared in the style of northern Mexico. Don’t
skimp on the appetizers, either. The traditional Caesar salad ($9) from
Tijuana might sound like no great shakes, but it has ruined the salad
for many visitors. And the crema al nopal ($8), a rich, green-tinted
cactus-based soup, was the runaway highlight of a recent visit.

Ideal meal: Crema de nopal and that wild boar sandwich, aka the emparedado de javali.